#DGPBlog

by Ashley Lister

	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	1m
	I was teaching a class on Thursday morning when we began to discuss Twitter as a tool for honing writing skills.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	2m
	In some ways it's a skill to hone a thought to a limitation as restrictive as 140 characters.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	3m
	The act of tweeting is a discipline that forces a writer to focus on exactly what needs to be said.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	4m
	Admittedly, there can be multiple tweets that use far more than 140 characters and still manage to say nothing of value @David_Cameron.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	5m
	But, just as the respected discipline of haiku can be abused to being nonsensical...
	Dead Good Poets @deadgoodpoets	6m
	Bees have striped bodies   Black yellow black yellow black   Yellow black yellow
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	7m
	...the art of the tweet can be used to impart the remarkable (I have reader's block), the risible (Clegg’s OK) and the retarded (I♥1D).
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	8m
	To practice this discipline, I've made each of the sentences for this blog less than 140 characters.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	9m
	Some sentences have been easier than others.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	10m
	And the discipline of writing in tweet length sentences has forced me to focus on content in ways that 'regular' writing will never demand.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	11m
	I'm not only conscious of spelling and lexical choice and punctuation - I'm even worried about spaces.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	12m
	How many other writing disciplines make us think of spaces?
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	13m
	So, my writing exercise for today is simply a call to tweet.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	14m
	Say something profound if it suits your mood. Say something poetic if you feel able.
	Ashley R Lister @ashleylister	15m
	But be conscious that your words are being shaped by the restrictions of the medium.
	Dead Good Poets @deadgoodpoets	16m
	Include the hashtag #DGPBlog and mention @deadgoodpoets and (if appropriate) we'll retweet your sage words.